Parry's '˜relief' at saving Tour card

John Parry admitted his relief after saving his European Tour career for a third time at Qualifying School.
Relieved man: Knaresborough golfer John ParryRelieved man: Knaresborough golfer John Parry
Relieved man: Knaresborough golfer John Parry

Parry produced a nerveless display in the final two rounds at the last Q-School event in Barcelona to end a disappointing year on a high note.

With his career in the balance, Parry shot seven under par over the final 36 holes of the six-round competition to finish ninth, four shots behind winner Nathan Kimsey.

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The Knaresborough golfer was left fighting to save his career at the PGA Catalunya Resort after falling to 736th in the world rankings in 2016.

“I am very relieved to get my card back at Q-School,” Parry said.

“I’m just pleased to get the job done, although I don’t plan of making it a habit as I would prefer not to go back there!”

It was the fourth time that Parry has won through the qualifying system to ensure his place among the world’s elite.

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Having first secured his tour card in 2009, Parry’s career was first put on the line at the end of 2012 where he bounced back in swashbuckling style to win the qualifying event.

He had a breakthrough year in 2013 when placing tied-28th at the US Open but a string of poor results the following season saw him back at Catalunya.

A sixth-placed finished rescued his card on that occasion and his career blossomed again in 2015 where he earned a second shot at the US Open.

But a mix of injury and poor form blunted his progress again this year and he made just seven cuts in 22 tour appearances.

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He headed to Barcelona on the back of his best run of form of the year – finishing tied-28th at the British Masters in October before a consistent performance put him tied-69th at the Portugal Masters.

After four rounds his career remained firmly in the balance at two under but scores of 69 and 68 in the tense finale moved him up 13 places on the leaderboard.

The top 31 players secured their places on the European Tour for 2017.

Parry said: “I have a good track record at Q-School, so I always feel confident that I know what needs to be done.

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“I don’t panic if I have a bad round, which is key to staying patient. This year the scores were incredibly bunched, which meant one good, or bad round could see you dropping or climbing a lot of places.”

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